The PC is the definitive machine for real-time strategies (RTS)
and there are so many RTS games that at times, it's like putting
a stick into a hornet's nest. From alien planets (Starcraft II)
to epic wars (Command & Conquer Generals), the genre has
definitely proved itself with gamers. However as there are so
many RTS titles available for the PC, you have your great titles
and your not so great titles which is inevitable. Elements of
War fits somewhere in the middle and the biggest problem with
the game is that it feels quite dated on the PC, even though it
has some great twists thrown into the mix to create something
different.

At its core, Elements of War is a traditional real-time strategy
game that is set in the distant future that has seen mankind
finally gain control over the weather. However what better way
to to decimate your enemies than by controlling their weather
and this is where the twist comes into play. It's actually quite
interesting to use the weather as a weapon as you call down the
heavens to smash your enemies. Apart from the weather, players
have access to a plethora of futuristic vehicles and technology
in order to gain the upper hand on their opponents. When it
comes to gameplay modes, Elements of War features a campaign
mode (single-player) and an online mode. There are three
different factions that you can select, each with a slightly
different story which include the Ravens (US), the EBB (European
Coalition) and the Patriots (freedom fighters).

The Ravens are
in essence the US military who are trying their hardest to
protect the weather weapon, whereas the EBB have invaded America
in order to steal this technology and right in the middle are
the Patriots who just want their country to return to normal.
With 12 quite large maps and over 40 units, Elements of War has
quite a bit going on for itself. I'll try not spoil the weather
weapons but I will spoilt one... called earthquake. This really
makes a mess of your enemies armies and is actually quite cool
to see it unfold.

Like other games of this genre, you start small in Elements of
War and have limited access to the units that can you create.
As you do progress, your tech-tree becomes more in-depth that
will allow you to pump out more vehicles and weaponry. It is a
tried and tested formula but something feels a little amiss,
especially with games such as Starcraft II released almost a
year ago because this game feels extremely dated from its old
school gameplay to old school graphics which is a shame. The
control system is the standard mouse and keyboard as you point
and click to move your unit or units which most people of this
genre should have no issues in mastering. There is tutorial for
those who have never played RTS titles before and it is quite
incisive to learn the ropes of the game such as resource
management.

Battles are the key to Elements of War as with all RTS games but
one nuisance of the game is the artificial intelligence of the
units. Sometimes when I set a waypoint for my units or if a
battle was occurring, they would move the long-way to their
destination. Also when there are several units on screen at
once, there is some slowdown. Missions are generally quite small
as opposed to massive all out brawls between armies but where
the game shines is through the weather control that is almost
like launching a nuclear missile from the Red Alert series. It's
a shame that the engine doesn't look that appealing.

Graphically, Elements of War looks quite plain on high
resolutions with its dated and simplistic environments. Unit design
looks good however and the vehicles that you control have this
futuristic feel to them and the best part of the graphics is the
weather effects for the game. The developers have done a rather
good job at creating the weather elements that makes the gameplay a tad
more exciting. Given this, there are some frame rate issues and
not all the units look good which in turn makes the game feel
like a pre 2000 title. You would hope that it would be silky
smooth on a modern rig but unfortunately this is not the case.
The gaming environment is also a little sparse which lacks the
terrain detail or more importantly an immersion factor which is a
shame.

In the end, Elements of War would have been a decent game 10
years ago, however it feels trapped in the pre-2000 area from
its dated graphics to gameplay. If you're in need for an RTS
fix, you might want to investigate this for $59.95AUD but
unfortunately there are several better games available. Even the
multiplayer is quite boring and in the end, this is not a very
memorable RTS title.